Black Propeller

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of DirectMail.com, a direct marketing agency.

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Propeller?

Our in-house team manages our SEO and PPC ads, but we wanted professional help to better handle them.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Black Propeller currently manages our SEO and PPC campaigns. For the SEO portion, they work closely with us in conducting keyword research.

What is the team composition?

We work with four people from their team, including Annie (Account Director), a graphic designer, and an SEO expert.

How did you come to work with Black Propeller?

When we interviewed them, we were very impressed with their pitch, which was led by Annie. Based on the strength of their presentation, we decided to sign a contract with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $75,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2021, and our engagement is still ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We’ve seen improvements in our keyword rankings and are very satisfied with their PPC efforts. Their team has managed to target the right keywords that meet our price points and feed us new leads. We’ve also expanded our daily ad spend due to their good performance.

How did Black Propeller perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been superb in this regard. They communicate really well and make sure that there’s constant dialogue between their team and ours. We interact mainly through bi-weekly video conferences and email.

They also use different kinds of project management tools, but I can’t remember the names of those tools.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They do everything well and have been exceeding my expectations — that’s all you can ask for from a services company.

Are there any areas they could improve on?

At the moment, no — as I said, they are exceeding my expectations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I encourage any company that’s looking for digital marketing services to interview Black Propeller.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a flooring retailer and wholesaler business.

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we set up a call during which Black Propeller walked me through the services they could offer for my business. I really liked their offer, so they immediately started to get involved in the project. From the start, they’ve been managing my Google Ads campaigns entirely, providing me with weekly reports. They also offer digital advertising services on other platforms, but I don’t need those services at the moment.

What is the team composition?

I work with two people from Black Propeller: an account director and a media specialist.

How did you come to work with Black Propeller?

When I was looking for help with my advertising, I met with a few different firms, including them. While others came to me with very generic presentations, Black Propeller took the time to research my business and provided me with a much more tailored presentation. Their presentation included research on other companies in the market and examples of how other businesses had been able to scale with their help.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent over $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Our sales have increased by 43% since I started using Black Propeller’s services.

How did Black Propeller perform from a project management standpoint?

Black Propeller’s services are very customized and tailored. We have biweekly calls to review the project, and they constantly walk me through it. They’re also very open to feedback. Still, I trust their advice because they’ve done nothing but grow my business. In addition to our calls, we communicate via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The tailored experience I get from working with Black Propeller is impressive. They’ve done a great job studying and understanding my niche market, helping me expand my business on it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust their advice.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the administrator for PR and marketing at a secondary-only school district.

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Propeller?

We were trying to raise awareness about our new school and our district as a whole. Additionally, we wanted to increase our enrollment numbers.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Black Propeller helps us with PPC advertising. They primarily work on optimizing our Google Ads efforts. Additionally, the team writes ad copy and creates landing pages for us.

What is the team composition?

I've worked closely with John (CEO), Mary (Paid Search Manager), and Annie (Account Director).

How did you come to work with Black Propeller?

We did some research and came across them. We looked at multiple vendors, but we liked that Black Propeller had comprehensive services. Our team is small, so having an all-in-one solution was very helpful to us.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in July 2021, and it's ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We've been able to fill our new school very quickly. Although we did have some other advertising efforts, a significant number of leads came in through the team's PPC advertising efforts.

In terms of creativity, they do a great job of thinking outside the box. Their work is truly valuable to us.

How did Black Propeller perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is excellent. We typically communicate through phone calls. They always get back to us quickly whenever we have a question. 

In the beginning, we had weekly calls. Since our strategies are more established now, we only meet on a biweekly basis. Additionally, we have quarterly meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their customer service is fantastic. Everyone has been extremely helpful to us, from the CEO to the people we interact with every day. They're willing to work closely with us, and they've taken some of the load off our team. We've learned a lot from them in terms of advertising.

It's been a learning process for both of us since it's their first time working with an educational partner, and we don't have any experience with PPC advertising. That said, working with them has been a great experience. Black Propeller is very helpful — they make an effort to take a good look at our strategy and see how they can best support us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don't think there's anything they could do better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don't be afraid to ask questions. That's been key to us understanding what they're doing.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital marketing manager at Valet Living, a full-service family amenities provider.

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Propeller?

We needed their expertise in digital marketing.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially hired Black Propeller to take over our PPC marketing pipeline as our previous partner didn’t deliver our desired results. They quickly met our expectations, so we also decided to task them with handling our social media marketing efforts.

Black Propeller currently manages our Google campaigns and social media ads, specifically for Youtube and Facebook. As part of their support for our lead generation efforts, Black Propeller generates wide-ranging graphic ads and landing pages for our online platforms. Additionally, their team documents our ad spend and marketing statistics through Google Analytics. We’re planning to have them handle our SEO marketing pipeline soon.

What is the team composition?

We work with three resources from Black Propeller, including John (CEO), Annie (Account Director), and Mary (Paid Search Manager).

How did you come to work with Black Propeller?

Black Propeller topped the Google search list for digital marketing agencies, and I took that as a sign that they were a capable team with reputable experience. I reached out to John and immediately found them to be a good fit for us because he understood our needs — we were on the same page with everything we discussed.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $20,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in March 2021, and our collaboration is ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Black Propeller has recently presented our quarterly review, which states that our cost per lead (CPL) went down by almost $300. We’ve acquired 101 qualified leads in a matter of five months — this is an impressive metric as we’ve already surpassed last year’s total of 74 leads. Black Propeller continues to do their part in driving lucrative results to our business, and that’s why we still rely on their services.

How did Black Propeller perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via email and hold regular virtual meetings. Black Propeller is a communicative team with a thorough work process — there’s really nothing for us to worry about when they’re in charge. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Black Propeller is a collaborative and responsive team. We’re confident that we’re always in good hands because we can always reach them, unlike our previous partners that lacked professional communication skills.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They hit all our targets and deliver our needs on time — there’s nothing to complain about at this point.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Choose Black Propeller. They may seem too good to be true, but don’t let that stop you from hiring a proactive partner to deliver your exact needs.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a marketing manager for an electric manufacturing company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Propeller?

We wanted to expand our business and get more visibility.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Black Propeller is responsible for providing web design, PPC, and a marketing strategy for us. They’ve established great landing pages that outline what our business is about and make it easy to target correct clients. Their team has also helped us increase leads across different platforms by launching Google ads and PPC campaigns.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with John (Founder & CEO), Kelsey (Paid Social Manager), and Delaney (Account Manager).

How did you come to work with Black Propeller?

A friend who uses Black Propeller’s services recommended them to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in March 2020, and it’s ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our partnership has been very successful — numbers speak for themselves. We’ve seen an increase in traffic and a reduction in the cost per conversion. Every time we get certified with a company, we expand our work with Black Propeller, and they’ve always been readily available. They add value to our company, which is why we continue to work with them.

How did Black Propeller perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through phone calls and have Zoom meetings once every three months. Their team has performed very well; they work together and have set meeting times, which they’ve never missed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their performance has been very professional. Moreover, they deliver on their promises.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything right now, but there’s always room for improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them a shot — they’re awesome.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of an advertising, consulting, and marketing company called Mad Girl Marketing.

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Propeller?

I don’t handle any PPC or SEO myself, and neither does my team. So, I brought on Black Propeller to handle that for one of my lead-driven clients.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Black Propeller does a number of things. They do display advertising, which they’re also providing for my client, video content for social platforms, and remarketing. I primarily use them for PPC services.

What is the team composition?

I worked with John (Founder & CEO) at the beginning, but I now primarily work with Annie (Senior Account Manager).

How did you come to work with Black Propeller?

I heard great things from other clients who had worked with Black Propeller, so I thought I’d reach out and vet them. I spoke with Annie and John, and we hit it off at the beginning.

Besides their capabilities, I felt an instant connection. John was very friendly and forthcoming, and he provided all of the information that I was looking for. We’re also both small businesses, which we have in common, and we both give our clients a hands-on experience. 

How much have you invested with them?

My clients have spent about $350,000 on the PPC, as well as another $50,000 on fees.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since November 2019.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Black Propeller has played an instrumental role in the growth and success of my client. We sold over 900 confidence plans and we’re in a record-breaking year. Our leads are constantly going up and our cost per click is really low.

I can attribute this success to them because this particular client doesn’t use any other media outlets apart from billboards. Black Propeller has come to the table and has done what they said they would do.

How did Black Propeller perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform very well. They communicate clearly, and they have a clear, concise plan of how they’re going to handle things. The plans that they put in front of us are accurate and backed up by their expertise. They always convey why we should take certain steps, even though our clients don’t.

Every Tuesday, my client and I receive a simplistic report from them. Their reports are very straightforward, and we can see our spend, conversions, and what we’re getting week-to-week. Black Propeller recaps everything and specify’s each campaign that we’re involved in.

I’m a little different than who they’re normally used to working with because I’m the middleman between their company and my clients, but we’ve navigated through it extremely well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their hands-on experience distinguishes them. When I have an issue, I can call Annie and we can discuss it that day. The ability to reach them and not getting handed off to other people is great. Black Propeller is responsive and cares. They also take responsibility and know what they’re good at.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Black Propeller could make sure that they have their T’s crossed and I’s dotted in terms of paperwork, which Annie and I talked about. Verbal agreements don’t always work out the way you like, so everything should be written down. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be transparent about what you’re looking for. People are only as good as the information given to them. Black Propeller is good at what they do, but you need to make sure that expectations are set up upfront. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of a teddy bear company called ZZZ Bears. We make teddy bears that represent our nation's heroes (military, police, fire and healthcare) and gives back to the children of fallen heroes by donating bears to children who have lost a parent in the line of duty. As the sole owner, I am responsible for all aspects of the business.

For what projects/services did your company hire Black Propeller?

ZZZ Bears is a side hustle for me and the truth is I don't have the expertise or time to handle our digital marketing. I've hired other digital marketing agencies in the past with mixed results. More often than not, their set up fees and monthly fees alone make it difficult to turn a profit, even if the advertising itself works. I was soured on the prospect of hiring another digital marketing agency when someone I trusted recommended Black Propeller to me. BP had tripled their sales within months.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals for the project were simple. Create a digital marketing strategy using Facebook, Google and Instagram ads with high conversion rates and low cost of customer acquisiton. I wanted Black Propeller to handle all aspects of the campaign including copywriting and design. We gave them a large bank of photos and videos they could pull from and gave them the flexibility to create their own assets as well.

How did you select Black Propeller?

A company that we regularly do business with told me about Black Propeller. They said that BP had tripled their sales within months. I figured it was at least worth a conversation with them so I emailed John and set up a consultation call. What I liked about them (besides the fact that they were likable) was that there was no set up fee and no contracts. Meaning that if they didn't perform to my standards, I could walk away at any time. That's quite an incentive for an agency. With a solid referral in hand and a what-do-I-have-to-lose-mentality, I decided to give them a try.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After we officially selected BP, we had a kickoff call with the the people who would be directly managing our account. We talked in depth about our company, our history with digital advertising, our goals, existing assets, etc. They took about a week to look through our account, conduct market research and a competitive analysis and develop a plan. That plan included Facebook, Google and Instagram as the main platforms.

What was the team composition?

I was immediately assigned an account manager - the same one that tripled sales for the company I mentioned earlier. From what I could tell, she was responsbile for almost every aspect of the account (besides design) - developing strategy, placing the ads, interfacing with me, etc. About a month or two into our relationship we were assigned a second manager who handled the Google side of our business.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The first month saw an uptick in sales but was largely a learning phase. In month two sales went up and cost of acquisiton went down. In the third month, they really hit their stride with a significant increase in sales and average order value and a decrease in COA.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Every Monday, I'd receive a weekly performance report and every Wednesday was a 30 minute status call. However, I didn't have to wait for Wednesdays for access to my account manager. She was extremely responsive to my emails and open to listening to any ideas and answering any questions at any time.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We're a super small business with a relatively small ad spend. Most digital agencies would likely hand us over to the intern. With Black Propeller, I felt like I was just as important as any of their other, larger accounts and I truly believe they were motivated to help us for all the right reasons. They were passionate about what they do and really wanted to see us succeed.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing comes to mind.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Here at CUBE84, I’m the director of business development. I oversee our marketing efforts as well.

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Propeller?

We had a poor experience with other firms working on Google Ads, so we looked for another firm to support our marketing efforts. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

They redid our entire Google Ads campaign. They took the time to do completely new keyword research and competitor analysis. Whenever somebody clicks on the ads, it takes them to a landing page rather than our website, and that helps with our conversion rate. We noticed that the landing page was phenomenal compared to our website, so we engaged with them to build a custom site for us.

What is the team composition?

Annie (Senior Account Manager) is my pain point of contact, and I work with two other team members- Bill (Project Manager) and John (Founder & CEO).

How did you come to work with Black Propeller?

I went on Google and searched for a few firms and connected with them. I honestly hired them for their attention to detail and the preparation they put in before the call blew me away. Ultimately, the cost was unreal. For the quality of the service they provide, their fee is low. I thought it was too good to be true.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve roughly spent $12,000 and the website was the bulk of that.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2020 and it’s ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

 The project has been extremely successful. My organization has never had these results with their Google Ad campaigns until we brought in Black Propeller. Before I came in, we didn’t have a marketing place and we were getting about five leads a month. Now we’re getting about five leads a week.

They always over-perform for us. They provide phenomenal work for us for what we pay. We recouped our costs within the first two months of working with them and continue to see massive ROI. We’ve actually doubled our ad spend because the engagement has been so successful.

With the result they’re generating, their experience with Google Ads has to be their biggest strength. The difference between them and their competitors is night and day.

How did Black Propeller perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re really nice, cool people. I look forward to our weekly check-ins with them. Since we started working with them, they haven’t increased our rate. We communicate with them via email or Google Chat in addition to our calls. For documentation and proposals they use Panda Docs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I can’t say enough good things about Black Propeller. We’ve become friendly with our points of contact. It’s not solely a business engagement. They’re an awesome small team. They truly want us to succeed. They know if they give us good work, we will continue to work with them and give them referrals.

I also like that they’re available to talk through challenges with them. Even if it’s a one-off task and isn’t a part of the scope of our project, such as a graphic design project, they are willing to help us out and introduce us to their graphic designer. The biggest takeaway is that they go above and beyond.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If I was being nit-picky, there have been a few times that I’ve asked to reschedule meetings, and I just get a calendar invite. If it was me, I’d also send a response saying that it wasn’t a problem/ It’s such a minimal thing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust their experience, insights, and recommendations. That’s how you can get the best results. They’re the experts.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and president of Helms Electric. It’s a residential electrical company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Propeller?

We were trying to get more business. I tried Google Ads myself and wasn’t having a lot of success with it. I talked to Black Propeller and they were super nice.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designed my website and explained in great detail what they’d be able to do for me. They handled my search optimization on Google and PPC. They make sure that people can message us through our website. They regularly provide analytics for us. They were able to tailor it for people searching in my area.

What is the team composition?

I just talk to John (Founder & CEO). If I have any questions, he answers right away and calls me back immediately. We have a good working relationship.

How did you come to work with Black Propeller?

I did a Google search. Long story short, I’ve worked with several other web development agencies and have had issues in the past. When I spoke to John, he assured me that the website they designed would be ours, I’d control it, and I could have them manage it. He was very upfront, and that’s what I liked about him.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $800/ month (approximately $19,200 in total).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in August 2017 and it’s ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

They came through with everything they said they could do. Once we started working with them, we got a lot more calls and business picked up a lot—we probably doubled our business.

How did Black Propeller perform from a project management standpoint?

I can just send an e-mail or text them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re super nice and they do what they say they’re going to do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not that I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I highly recommend them. Doing it on your own can be tough, but they’re experts.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former marketing director at a surf camp. We have two hotels, multiple restaurants and surf shops.

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Propeller?

Our Google Ads account had been neglected for about a year, so our cost-per-click (CPC) was high, along with our overall spend. The account wasn’t being managed efficiently at all, so we hired Black Propeller.

What was the scope of their involvement?

To start, they provided us with an outline of the goals they were going to aim for, including lowering our cost-per-conversion. They took over our Google Ads account, along with our Facebook Ad efforts targeted toward the US market. They also create landing pages and graphic design tasks for us. 

What is the team composition?

Annie (Senior Account Manager) is our main point of contact. A Facebook specialist and a graphic designer also support us. 

How did you come to work with Black Propeller?

I did online research after I was tasked with managing our Google Ads account. I considered different ratings across Google and they were the most recommended and the price was right. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $1,200 per month. Although we’ve had to close the hotel for now because of COVID-19, they’ve comped the last two months and continue to work with us. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since June 2019 and our engagement is ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

They’ve done an amazing job. They took a mess and turned it into a high-functioning Google Ads account which has been helpful for us. The contacts we were receiving from Google Ads went from 25% of our total leads to our biggest funnel for leads, surpassing our organic traffic. 

How did Black Propeller perform from a project management standpoint?

They set up a few tracking tools for us and send weekly reports that are easy to read. When we first started, we had weekly calls with Annie. Once it settled down, we reduced it to biweekly calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provided us with goals at the beginning, which no other provider offers. They’ve met and surpassed all of the goals they set and are easy to work with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

If anything, they seem a little overwhelmed at some requests that are needed immediately, so we’d receive work a day later than when we asked for it. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you do the calls with them and know exactly what you want out of the relationship. Also, know what customers you’re trying to reach.